Work for Hire
Work for hire
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Work for hire -
In the world of music production, work for hire agreements are everywhere.
In its simplest form, a work for hire agreement involves an employer (like an artist or company) and an employee (like a session musician or producer).
The employer will pay the employee a sum of money in exchange for the ownership rights of what they created. For example, Lebron James might pay Diplo a sum of $1,000,000 to create an original song where Lebron James would be the owner.
From a producer’s standpoint, work for hire agreements are very common when working with session musicians, especially if you are trying to create a live sound.
Artists will also use work for hire agreements if they want to maintain 100% ownership of their catalog.
Why does this matter?
For many independent musicians and artists, it is always good practice to transparency, especially when collaborating with people on a song. Nothing is more awkward than negotiating “who did what” after the song is already out.
Set everyone’s expectations from the start so you won’t hit any bumps on the way.
